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- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H.-D. PHILLIPS .& 0. H. WILLIAMS.

Brick Machine. N0. 240,457. PatentedApril 19, 188i.

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Mummy Q4 v E "'i' 2 Sheets- Sheet 2. H. D. PHILLIPSfiv 0. H. WILLIAMS.

Brick Machine. Y No. 240,457. Patented April 19, I88].

' (No Model.)

W ilnesees In z/fentors V m Z4 r. //%%W, *7 fi'm N.PETE RS, RHOTQUTHQQRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D c.

UNITE SATEs ATENT Prion.

, MD., AND cARMI H. WILLIAMS, OF

ASSIGNOR TO SAID WILLIAMS.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,457, dated April 19, 1881. Application filed June 25, 1880. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HENRY D. PHILLIPS, of the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, and OARMI H. WILLIAMS, of the city of Brooklyn, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick- Machines; and we hereby declare the following to be a full and accurate description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Our present invention relates to that class of brick-machines in which the clay is continuously tempered and formed into bricks ready for drying and burning, and is an improvement upon the machines for which Letters Patent of the United States N 0. 125,075 were granted to us March 26,1872, and N 0. 202,861 were granted to us April 23, 1878.

In brick-machines as heretofore constructed it has been found necessary to force the compressing-plunger to a point within the mold varying with the character of the clay, to allow for expansion due to the elasticity of the material after the plunger is withdrawn. This required the plungers to be very accurately fitted to the mold to prevent the clay from escaping between the sides of the plunger and thesides of the mold 5 but no degree of accuracy would prevent the clay from penetrating a short distance between the two sides when both plunger and mold were in the best practical working condition, and the amount of this penetration would speedily increase from the wearcausedbythemovingplunger. This method,therefore, ofcompressingtheclay within the mold necessarily produced a fin upon the upper corners of the brick, and continued working would soon enlarge this. fin to a degree that would make the cornersirregular and defective, and so materially injure the market value of the brick. The practical result of this method of working, therefore, was to produce a brick with corners never absolutely perfect, and to attain even this imperfect condition required frequent repairs to both plunger and mold.

It is the object of our present invention to avoid this defective method of working, and, while producing a brick with perfect corners, to render frequent repairs unnecessary for the maintenance of this perfect character to the bricks and to these ends our invention consists in compressing the clay within the mold in such manner that the clay will flow against all sides of the mold without sliding on any.

It also consists in defining the size of the brick in all directions by the mold alone.

It also consists in combining with such a mold perforations through which any surplus clay may escape from the mold.

It also consists in within the mold by a plunger of smaller area than the mold; and it also consists in closing the mold after it is in position to receive the clay.

The form of construction. we have adopted to carry out our invention will be clearly explained by reference to the drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of the brickmachine, partly in section, showing one set of plungers at the bottom of the stroke. Fig. 2 is a section through Fig. 1, in the line X X. Fig. 3 is a plan of the clay-box, showing the wiper. Fig. 4 is a plan of the frame of the brick-mold, showing the cam for moving the frame back and forth.

In all the figures similar letters refer to similar parts.

The plunger A fits closely within the claybox formed between the side of the pug-mill E and the three sides of the box B, which is securely bolted tothe side E. The lower end of the plunger A is slotted to pass the rib H in the box B, thus dividing the clay-box in two equal parts, so that two bricks may be pressed at each descent of the plunger. The lower end of the plunger is provided with holes or openings I, so that the surplus clay may escape from the brick-molds back into the pug-mill. The pressure to be given to the brick is regulated by the size of these open- In gs.

The frame D, which is moved back and forth by the cam J, has two rectangular openings, L,

compressing the clay the bottom of the box venting the of the size of the bricks to be made, and the thickness of the frame is equal to the desired thickness of the brick. When the frame is drawn by the cam J to the position shown in Fig. 2, the top of the brick-mold is formed by. B and the pug-mill E, the area of the clay-box, and consequently that of the plunger A, being considerably smaller than the area of the opening L in the frame I). The bottom of the brick-mold is formed by the wedge-plate (3, which is secured in place by the bolts K, by means of which the wedge-plate may be adjusted for wear. These bolts are also arranged so as to prevent any horizontal movement of the wedge-plate C during the operation of the machine, while they permit a slight vertical movement. After the frame D has been drawn into the position represented in Fig. 2, the brick-mold is closed by the wedge F, which is pushed forward by the cam-groove in the wheel N, keyed to the upright shaft, thus lifting the wedge-plate O, and with it the frame D, against the bottom of the box B and mill E, and holding the parts firmly in this position, thus effectually preformation of fins on the edges of the brick. The size of the brick is thus accurately defined in all directions by the sides of the mold alone. When the bricks have been pressed and the plungerA entirely withdrawn, the mold is opened by the withdrawal of the wedgeF through the lug 0, acted upon by the cam-groove M. The frame D is thus released, and is-pushed out by the revolution of the cam J, bringing the bricks under the discharging-plates P, as described in our beforementioned former patent, No. 202,861, which descend and push the bricks down through the frame D onto a belt or other suitable device for conveying the bricks away.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The pug-mill is filled with clay, which is thoroughly mixed and tempered by the knives on the revolving shaft, and as the clay arrives at the bottom of the mill the sweep R in its revolution forces a quantity of clay into the claybox, the plunger being drawn up to the top of the box. The plunger A now descends, operated by the cam-groove in the large gear-wheel by means of the connecting-rod and togglejoint, as described in our before-mentioned patent, No. 202,861, forcing the clay before it into the brick-mold, which has been closed by the wedge F, as above described. As the plunger descends the clay is forced with great pressure against all sides of the mold, pro ducing perfectly-shaped square corners on all sides of the brick, the surplus clay escaping, as the pressure reaches its maximum, through the openings in the plunger, which thus act as a gage for the amount of pressure to be applied and prevent breakage of the machinery. The plunger A is forced down below the upper surface of the brick to such a point that when it is withdrawn the elasticity of the material shall do no more than to raise the central depressed portion of the brick to a level, or nearly so, with its upper surface. This depression is no disadvantage to the brick, if it should not be entirely removed by the expansion of the clay. It makes an excellent key for mortar in buildin g a wall, and for pavin g-brick it is a positive advantage, for the bricks take a bearing on the outer edges before the center, thus adding to the stability of the brick and preventing rocking.

It is evident that the bricks made by this machine will be absolutely uniform in size and regularity of corners, the only possible variation being that due to the difference in expansion of the clay in the center after the plunger is withdrawn; and with this form of construction it is no longer necessary to arrest the upward movement of the plunger absolutely at the upper surface of the mold, it being only necessary to withdraw the plunger above the surface of the mold without nice adjustment to the surface of the mold.

Provision for the escape of surplus clay from the mold may be made through openings in the sides or bottom of the mold, if desired, instead of through the plunger; but we prefer the plan shown, because in that case the excess is returned directly to the pug-mill, and also because the overflow, if in the sides or bottom of the mold, would of necessity leave a mark on the brick, and, cutting off the escape as the brick pushed from the mold, would cause wear of the parts.

It will be observed that there is no wear on the frame D, except that due to its own weight in sliding over the wedge-plate O, and consequently that the corners of the brick-mold will remain intact, and the machine will always produce bricks with perfect corners, even after the frame D is reduced in thickness by wear.

We are aware that a plunger of less transverse area than the mold has been used in a brick-press-that is to say, a press for giving the final finish to bricks which had been previously formed by an independent machine or by hand; but in such press no provision is required for the escape of material, because there is no surplus, and the escape of material, if permitted, would defeat the purpose of the re-pressing operation.

In a brick-machine such as ours herein described we form and finish the brick at one operation, and to do this it is essential that provision should be made for the escape of surplus material, so that what is inadmissible in a brick-press is indispensible in our improved brick-machine, and we have met this requirement by providing for the escape of the surplus material, as hereinbefore set forth.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a brick-machine, the combination of a brick-mold and a perforated plunger of smaller the mold is in position to receive the clay, subtransverse section than the mold, substanstantially as and for the purposes set forth. tially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of a plunger of smaller 5 transverse section than the mold and a mold having perforations for the escape of surplus Witnesses: I material, substantially as described. HARRY E. WILLIAMS,

3. A movable wedge to close the mold after W. T. ELLIOTT. P i 

